Special thanks to Gigis Cupcakes who provided the cupcakes for this event. All opinions are 100% mine.

This past weekend I helped throw a bridal shower for my beautiful older sister, Danielle. While going through this process of co-hosting as sister and Matron of Honor, I narrowed down 6 steps to share that helped make this the perfect bridal shower.

1.) THEME

Picking a theme sets the tone for the shower, and will keep it a memorable experience for all. Try to pick something relevant to the bride, whether it’s based on a favorite motif, location, the Bride’s heritage, or simply color scheme.

For Danielle, we went with a girly Paris themed bridal shower (based on a sister trip we took to Paris) which was complimented with black, pale pinks, and white details. Choosing a color scheme and sticking to it also helps tie together the theme.

Many times you can find a Groupon or similar daily deal for places like Zazzle or Vistaprint. Also, if you’ve narrowed down the style and aren’t crunched for time, make sure to signup for emails from that site so you can purchase when a promo is running. If it’s around the holidays, there will be really discounted promotions for Holiday Cards, which you can really use for any cards, such as shower invites (I’ve seen up to 75% off!).

We went with this fleur de lis invite from Zazzle, which matched the banner you saw in the picture above.

3.) THEMED FOOD

We hired a local caterer, and selected menu items to go with a Parisian theme. The menu included a variety of mini croissant sandwiches, cheese and fruit, baked brie, stuffed mushrooms, and mini quiches.

4.) SHOWSTOPPING DESSERT!

Let’s be honest. Women LOVE dessert…so make it memorable! I dedicated an entire table to really highlight the dessert, and put it in the location where we planned to open presents – right next to the Bride’s chair. My friends at Gigi’s Cupcakes in Orlando provided an awesome mix of full-size and mini cupcakes, creating a fun “Eiffel” cupcake tower! Guests were literally salivating over these gorgeous cupcakes.

Beautiful cupcakes can really help make any event memorable, and are a fun alternative to cake. Gigi’s Cupcakes has multiple locations in more than 22 states, and you can easily place an order online! Find your nearest Gigi’s location here.

5.) GAMES AND ACTIVITES

The wonderful bridesmaids focused on a series of games/activities, giving away Paris themed prizes. We spread out them out throughout the event, so people were entertained from start to finish.

Unique Guest Book: In lieu of a traditional guest book, we did something a little more creative. As guests entered, we took their photo and they were directed to write a note to the bride. Afterwards, we’ll mount the photo of each guest along with their note in the custom Paris notebook.

Newlywed Trivia Game: This is a funny activity for the group to watch and learn a little more about the bride and groom. Before the shower, we asked the groom a series of questions about their relationship and had his answers prepared. At the shower, Danielle was surprised with the series of questions, and had to answer them out loud to the group. For ever question she got wrong, we made her chew bubble gum until she had a whole cheek full!

Love Song Game: Guests were tasked with writing down as many songs they could think of that had the word “love” in the title. The one with the most answers won. The hitch? The winner had to sing a line or two from each song to prove they knew it!

Purse Game: This is a classically fun game. A list of random items were put on a sheet with a point value association. The more unique the item, the more points. Guests rummaged through their purses and marked off what was in it. The one with the most points won!

Slideshow: The groom actually surprised my sister with a beautiful slideshow for all to watch at the shower! It definitely made her shed a few tears. 🙂

6.) DETAILS, DETAILS, DETAILS!

It’s the little details that will help keep your theme together and make this something guests will remember. Since we were going with a Parisian theme, we used Eiffel Towers, fleur de lis, “ooh la las,” and “amour” motifs. The banner in the first picture (from Vistaprint) helped personalize the party to Danielle, and became a great photo spot. Checkout a few other details:

Paris box to hold the utensils.

“Amour” matching stickers put on lollipops or peppermint patties (inset in moss covered Styrofoam) add a pop of color to the favor table.

Macaroon jewelry boxes for favors!

I ordered these adorable macaroon jewelry boxes from PricewiseFavors. They came already packaged in a cute box with a french saying “Pour Vous Avec L’Amour,” (For You with Love).

We setup a drink station with a silver punch fountain, champagne, wine, sodas and lemonade.

To tie together the theme, we printed pictures from our sister trip to Paris and put in frames all over the party.

The bride paid attention to details as well, looking beautiful with an etsy flower hair accessory, neutral and blush outfit, pearl accents, and a flawless hairdo.

What steps would you add to throw the ultimate bridal shower? What bridal shower themes and games/activities do you love?

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